If it were determined that anorexia contributed to Jackson’s death, it would change the popular image of the illness forever. Many Americans had never heard of anorexia before Karen Carpenter died. Now the disease is well-known, but it’s mostly associated in people’s minds with young, white women, not middle-aged, black (or formerly black) men.

Frank Bruni’s honest and often funny assessment of his body image woes and how, in a roundabout way, they led him to become a food critic, could do wonders for other men suffering from anorexia and bulimia. Bruni’s story might inspire them to find a way out, too.